Originally Posted by
1911nerd
I've been reading the Scout Rifle thread with some interest: lots of new base rifle and optics options since I last seriously looked about 5 years ago. Rather than a traditional "scout", I'm interested in a "practical rifle" a la Randy Cain. The forward mounted IER scope doesn't do well in low light and sadly the red dots I've tried don't do the trick since I get significant bloom. Based on comments in the scout rifle thread and few optics threads, I recently picked up a Leupold VX-6 1-6 for about 25% off street price and so far am pretty happy with it; there's definitely more T&E to come.
In the practical rifle niche, is the LPV the school solution now? Or are folks still attached to higher magnification scopes, at least for the high plains (think WY)?
Since you're asking about practical rifles, I would say yes on the LPV.
Is the illuminated reticle now common enough to be considered a practical necessity?
It is my preference hands down for a practical rifle; John Hearne explained this well. I also find the lit reticle to be occasionally helpful in low-light hunting; there have been a couple of times where I could see the animal but not the reticle without illumination.
How should one be thinking about reticles for this application?
Simpler is better. I have a Leupold VX-R 2-7X with a German #4 reticle and a custom elevation turret on one practical rifle; while this scope works really well, I strongly prefer a simple BDC-type reticle. This is much quicker than futzing with your elevation turret in the field. GJM's point about the Leupold Custom Shop reticles is gold for hunting rifles; they make you a BDC reticle based on your ballistic data, they are simple and ultra-fast, but not illuminated. I am currently trying out a Leupold VX-6 1-6X green dot with a mil-based BDC reticle.
Is it worth worrying about optics weight for this application?
For sure. Why plop a 25 oz. pig on a rifle you might carry all day when, as an example, the Leupold 1-6 weighs under 15 oz?
What about detachable scope mounts? Given the price point of something like the Ruger American it is easy to imagine putting a multiple into the optic.
Again, for a practical rifle, I think QD makes sense, if you have irons on the rifle, or if you want to slap an RDS on. If you have no irons, and can't use an RDS, probably not much benefit.